A tanker overturned in Lagos on Wednesday afternoon. It was carrying 33,000 litres of groundnut oil. The crash occurred at Abiola Garden, near the Ojota Bridge, inward Toll Gate. The oil spilled onto the road. Eyewitnesses blamed brake failure. No one was hurt. The spill blocked traffic. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority cordoned off the area. Recovery operations began.
Fuel tanker spills are a recurring danger in Lagos. In 2018, a tanker explosion on Otedola Bridge killed over 60 people. In 2020, an explosion at Abule-Ado killed more than 20. In 2021, residents scooped fuel from a fallen tanker in Onitsha. The tanker exploded. Dozens died. The pattern is consistent. When tankers spill, crowds gather. They scoop the contents. They ignore warnings. Sometimes they pay with their lives. This time the cargo was groundnut oil, not petrol. That is less volatile. It is still not safe. The oil may be contaminated. It may have mixed with engine fluids or road grime. Eating it could cause illness. The residents did not wait. They scooped.
LASTMA said recovery was ongoing. The road was cordoned off. Traffic was heavy. The agency urged motorists to use alternative routes. Residents gathered with containers. They scooped the oil into jerrycans and buckets. Some used their hands. They ignored warnings from officials. The oil was free. It was also potentially hazardous. The agency did not say whether the oil was fit for consumption. It did not say who owned the cargo. It did not say whether the driver was arrested. The tanker was loaded with 33,000 litres. Much of it spilled. Some was recovered. The rest soaked into the road or was taken by residents.
The incident echoes past spills. When a tanker falls, the first instinct is to scoop. That instinct is dangerous. Petrol explodes. Oil poisons. The public needs education. The government needs enforcement. Neither is adequate.
Winners: Residents who scooped the oil, if it is safe. Scrap dealers, if the tanker is sold. Cleanup contractors, who earn fees. Losers: The tanker owner, who lost the cargo. The driver, who faces liability. Motorists, who sat in traffic. Residents who consume contaminated oil, if they fall ill. The environment, which absorbed the spill. LASTMA, which faced another recovery operation.
Bottom Line: A tanker spilled groundnut oil. Residents scooped it. Nobody stopped them. The oil may be unsafe. The pattern is familiar. Lagos must educate its residents. Spills are not free food. They are hazards. Until people understand that, they will keep scooping. And some will keep dying.